1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to signalling systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method usable in bars, restaurants, or the like to aid a customer in indicating that service is desired.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a bar, restaurant or similar facility, a single attendant may be at any location within the establishment and yet be responsible for servicing numerous customers. Ordinarily, a customer wishing service waits for the nearest attendant to approach him or her.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,164 to Adelor A. Lambert shows a prior art system suitable for use in bars. This patent discloses a plurality of activation units mounted on a bar counter top. Each activation unit is activated by placing a glass, bottle, or other weighted object on top of a platform thereby turning on lamps both near the activation unit and at a remote location. The activation unit is deactivated by removing the object from the platform. Each activation unit must be directly wired to the power source and to the remote indicator. As a result, it is cumbersome to install the activation units and once installed, the activation units are not easily moved to other locations, even on the same table. This makes it difficult to use that device in rooms whose layout is designed to be easily changeable by the rearranging of tables. U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,185, to E. S. Ida and U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,989, to G. K. B. T. Grunwaldt are also of interest.